Cat given two feet in pioneering surgery
25th June 2010
In what has been described as a case of science copying the natural world, a cat has had a pair of prosthetic paws surgically attached to its legs.
Oscar's life appeared to be in ruins after his rear paws were amputated in a freak accident when he was run over by a combine harvester as he lay in the sunshine.
But the two-and-a-half-year-old cat now has two new feet thanks to bioengineering work by Surrey-based neuro-orthopaedic surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick.
The operation to attach new feet was a world's first and while it would be extremely rare for your pet to undergo such treatment the incident highlights the scrapes animals can get themselves into. In order to avoid the heartbreak of not being able to afford potentially life-saving treatment for your beloved animal, pet insurance can provide policyholders with peace of mind.
The revolutionary design of Oscar's feet uses custom-made implants to "peg" the ankle to the foot and mimics the way in which deer antler bone grows through skin.
Oscar's road to recovery began after his local vet from St Saviour in Jersey referred his owners, Kate and Mike Nolan, to Fitzpatrick Referrals in Eashing, near Godalming.
Following his accident last October, Oscar's life-threatening injuries had to be treated first and a course of antibiotics administered before surgery could be contemplated.
Mrs Nolan said: "We had to do a lot of soul-searching and our main concern has always been whether this operation would be in Oscar's best interests and would give him a better quality of life."
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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